A water softener is also aptly called as water conditioner as it removes excess minerals from your water supply. The water that you drink every day contains minerals, like calcium and magnesium. They can cause scaly buildup in your appliances and pipes and that's not what you want.

Hard water also creates soap scum. This is difficult to remove especially when it sticks to your sinks, appliances and tubs. With the help of this appliance, dissolved minerals can be eliminated before they flow into your pipes.

How much does it cost?

The cost will depend on the brand. For an ion-exchange type, you’ll expect to pay around $400 to $1,000. The cost doesn’t include the installation fee that can go from $100 to $500, depending on the professional you want to hire and the type of water softener that the pro will install.

For larger homes, you need a unit with greater capacity, which price can be around $1,000 to $2,500. However, if you include the installation fee, the overall cost can go up to $10,000.

The cost may add up if you’re installing this unit to an older home that’s not pre-plumbed.

Does the size of the unit affect the overall cost?

It does. The bigger the unit, the pricier it can get. The price of this unit will also depend on the features that it has. Of course, you’d expect to pay more if the unit you want has advanced features.

Maintenance cost

You need to maintain this unit if you want it to last for many years. This can be done by yourself, but you may want to hire a company to maintain the system for you. The cost can be higher but it’s more convenient on your part as you don’t have to worry about how to properly maintain your water softener. With a professional checking the system on a monthly basis, you can be sure that the unit will last for long.

Kitchen faucets are available anywhere. You can purchase it online or through a local hardware store, but be careful in selecting a unit as only a handful of manufacturers can deliver high-quality products.

Before buying a new faucet for your kitchen

Ask yourself first: would you need a professional to install it for you or would you rather install it yourself? Many of the modern day faucets have been developed to be installed easily. However, you need to find a faucet that can directly deal with your current plumbing in your house. Although you can save significant amount of money when you install it yourself, it’s not a terrible idea to invest money to have a professional set it up for you. In this way, you can avoid leaks during the installation.

Measure your kitchen sink where you want to install your kitchen faucet. Keep in mind that each faucet has its own limitations. When it comes to faucet, there’s no such thing as one size fits all. Thus, you need to measure the area of your sink, its distance from the pipe and the backsplash. The backsplash is essential so you can determine the type of handle you want to invest in. You should also count the number of holes that have already been punched in your kitchen sink.

Is design important?

A kitchen faucet can have a farm style or a contemporary design. Even though it’s a matter of personal choice, it can affect how you choose the right faucet for your kitchen. If aesthetic is important, you must go for a product that goes well with the other elements in your house. Simply put, it must have a design that fits your entire kitchen décor.

Do you need special features?

Keep in mind that you can’t integrate special features after you’ve already installed your new kitchen faucet. Thus, you must decide whether or not you’d like to install special features in the future. One of the features that you might want is a touch sensor.

You’d also like to look into a faucet that allows integration of a water filtration system. In this way, you don’t have to purchase bottled water every time you go for grocery shopping just to have cleaner, purified drinking water.

A retractable hose may also be needed when cleaning your vegetables or the potted plants in that room.

Generally, you need to study your needs before you shop for a new kitchen faucet.

A garbage disposal is a great appliance that can reduce household duties. As they become less demanding, you can perform other chores needed for you to maintain orderliness in your kitchen or entire house.

But, just like any other machines, a disposal machine must be properly maintained so it can operate and perform its duties well. Keep in mind that this machine is prone to clogging and blocking. If you don’t maintain it, it may cause expensive plumbing problems and draining nightmares.

Because having clogged drain can be very inconvenient, you should learn how to maintain a garbage disposal. Thankfully, maintaining it is extremely easy.

What should you do?

One of the main things to consider in maintaining this machine is to keep it clean. How? Pour dish soap inside it and turn the machine on for a minute. Then, run cold water after you’ve done washing the dishes.

It’s also a good idea to use it on a regular basis. This is to prevent any corrosion or rust. It’ll also assure you that all parts will stay moving and prevent any type of obstructions from developing.

Some would recommend grinding hard materials to your garbage disposal. But because not all units are the same, you must consult your manufacturer’s guidelines to know whether it’s safe to grind hard materials using this unit. The water itself can better be soft.

If large items are needed to be processed, you might want to cut them into smaller pieces, rather than putting a large amount of items at once.

What you should not do with your garbage disposal?

Although this type of appliance is a durable machine, it’s not advisable to put items that aren’t biodegradable. Keep in mind that this machine isn’t like your trash can. Rather, it’s designed to scrap foods only. When put non-food items into it, they won’t only damage the blades but also its motor.

Thus, you should avoid grinding paper, metal or plastic. You must not put cigarette butts or items that are flammable.

How to remove nasty disposal smell?

You can always purchase a garbage disposal freshener. But, if you want an inexpensive way to eliminate nasty smell, you can just toss orange or lemon into the unit. They don’t only help in cleaning the walls of the machine but they can also provide your unit a long-lasting scent. You may also opt to pour baking soda into it to make the machine smell fresher than before.